Cuisines of the Caucasus Mountains: Recipes, Drinks, and Lore from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia [Hardcover]

Kay Shaw Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2007

Caucasians are noted for a creative and masterful cuisine that cooks evolved over the years by using fragrant herbs and spices and tart flavors such as lemons and sour plums. With healthful yet delectable ingredients like pomegranates, saffron, rose water, honey, olive oil, yogurt, onions, garlic, fresh and dried fruits, and a variety of nuts, these 184 authentic recipes provide many delicious options. The literary excerpts, legends, and lore sprinkled throughout the book will also enchant the reader-chef on this culinary journey to one of the world's most famous mountain ranges. Because of its geographical and ethnic diversity, the colorful and vibrant cookery of the Caucasus, interwoven with the history and invasion of conquest, the influence of religious affiliation, and the effects of political and social orientation or allegiance, represents a mixture of tastes. We find distinct culinary influences from the Greeks, Romans, Persians, Arabs, Turks, and Central Asians as they passed through or occupied the area, and there are also some Slavic or Russian contributions. Today, the region's cuisine is perhaps best described as a joyful mélange of Persian, Turkish, Greek, and Mediterranean dishes, with many innovations and improvements. --from the author's introduction

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kay Shaw Nelson is the author of seventeen cookbooks, including All Along the Rhine (Hippocrene, 2001) and The Scottish-Irish Pub & Hearth Cookbook (Hippocrene, 1999). Her articles have appeared in such publications as Gourmet, Woman's Day, House & Garden, Family Circle, Cuisine, and The Washington Post. She is also a culinary historian, food and travel columnist for The Scottish Banner, and a contributor to Washington Woman. She resides in Bethesda, Maryland.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 271 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books (October 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781809282
• ISBN-13: 978-0781809283
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,008,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > Russian

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Focuses on what people actually eat!, June 18, 2005

By 

K. E Pearce "kpearce" (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cuisines of the Caucasus Mountains: Recipes, Drinks, and Lore from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia (Hardcover)

What a great looking book. My mouth watered as I looked at the cover.

Kay Shaw Nelson is a student of Russian studies - thereby someone who really did research in the countries that this book covers and not just a compiler of other people's information. She even gives some reviews of places to eat in-country! She did a nice job of including literary references and short stories about some of the dishes. I'm no chef and I was able to make most of the items with ease. The tasks are easy to follow and replacements for some ingredients not easily found outside of the Caucasus are included.

Caucasus food has great flavor and uses herbs and spices masterfully. It is healthy and tasty. There are many vegetarian options as well.

Some of my favorites: page 165 rice-filled tomatoes, page 203 lavash (this actually tasted like lavash!), page 256 tan, page 42 cucumber-yogart dip, page 79 green beans and eggs.

13 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I wouldn't recommend to buy the book, January 20, 2006

By 

Aliya "Aliya" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cuisines of the Caucasus Mountains: Recipes, Drinks, and Lore from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia (Hardcover)

Knowing the region described in the book quite well, as I am from that region, AND reading this book, I was surprised with the way author (who is a historician !!!) puts the outdated information about the certain countries of the region and their cuisines. Seing the map with the wrong names/borders in the book was just shocking!!! The author have not done enough research on INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED facts on the region, it's history and geopolitics, and therefore is misrepresenting the region and may actually be offencive for the people like me, who grew up in that region.

The names of some culinary dishes are misperperented and misclassified, too.

Instead of spending money on this book, I'd recommend searching the information available online, where you can find more truthfull and up-to-date informaiton, and a variety of recipes for free!

9 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A lot of misclassification, January 20, 2006

By 

Sam Clark "Sam" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cuisines of the Caucasus Mountains: Recipes, Drinks, and Lore from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia (Hardcover)

The range of recepies offered in the book is great, but a lot of the recepies are misclassified by country/culture. Also, in the introduction part, and the part describing the history of the region, some facts are misrepresented.